Oxnard teacher with porn past to receive pay through Feb. 13

In this Nov. 1 photo, Stacie Halas (left) and her attorney Richard Schwab, (right) arrive for the sixth day of administrative hearings with the Oxnard School District at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center.

Ventura County Star

Stacie Halas, who was fired by the Oxnard School District because of her past as a porn-video actress, will receive pay until at least Feb. 13.

Halas was placed on paid administrative leave in March after school officials learned about her roles in X-rated movies taped before her employment with the district. The next month, the school board voted to fire her, and that decision was upheld by an administrative law judge this month.

The Government Code requires the district to keep Halas on the payroll 30 days after the decision by the administrative judge, or Feb. 13.

By then, Halas will have received about 11 months of pay during time on paid leave. Her annual salary is about $79,000, which includes health and other benefits.

School Board President Ana Del Rio-Barba said the district did not make the decision to keep Halas on the payroll but that she has that right as a credentialed teacher.

“We have to be sure we comply and that we’re not stepping on her rights,” Del Rio-Barba said. “It’s part of the whole process.”

Halas also has the right to appeal the administrative law judge’s decision to the Ventura County Superior Court. Her attorney, Richard Schwab, said that decision has not yet been made.

“We are still looking at all the options,” Schwab said.

Halas has until March 15 to file an appeal.

Superintendent Jeff Chancer said the district could reconsider taking Halas off the payroll if she decides to appeal before Feb. 13.

In October, Halas testified at an administrative law hearing that before becoming a teacher, she worked for the pornography industry for nine months due to financial duress. Administrative Law Judge Julie Cabos-Owen said in a 46-page opinion that her testimony was not credible because she lied to school officials about her past in pornography and also lied while under oath during the hearing.

Cabos-Owen’s ruling, while upholding the school district’s decision to fire Halas, does not revoke her teaching credentials. However, once the firing is final, the Commission on Teacher Credentialing can begin the review of Halas’ credentials.